Dumbledore the parselmouth?

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 151191


> 
> Jen:
> Nobody said that being able to speak or understand Parseltongue 
MAKES 
> you a Dark Wizard, that is your own incorrect deduction from others' 
> words.
> 
> The question, though, was why it would be *relevant*, which I 
answered.
>

Finwitch:

It hardly matters if Dumbledore could (There's no record if he could) 
but I don't think so. Dumbledore always has been observant, however. 
You know, the way he seemed to just know things... (Read some Sherlock 
Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to know how power of 
observance plays a part...)

Dumbledore can certainly observe that whisper, even if the person 
whose memory it is merely heard it, and deduce that it was 
parseltongue from other things such as the clearly stated status of 
being descendants of Salazar Slytherin.

Ron heard it when Harry spoke it, remember? But only Harry who 
understands it, heard it when no obvious source was visible. (Which 
sound, by others, was probably simply ignored.)

Even if Dumbledore doesn't understand parseltongue, he could deduce 
the critical matters from other things - (I doubt that 'Snakey snakey'-
business would have been any importance to him, anyway...) Harry's the 
one who understood that part, though...

BTW, it's entirely possible that Voldemort has hidden at least one 
horcrux in a place where one can access only by speaking 
parseltongue... Does the Chamber of Secrets have/had one, hidden in 
the Basilisk's nest? Perhaps Fawkes brought Dumbledore the Ring from 
there?

Finwitch